Tar Heels edge N.C. State in 18-inning marathon

Published: Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 02:36 AM.

“It was an unbelievable baseball game. It’s going to take me a while, probably in the morning, to wake up and go ‘what did I just experience?’ I don’t think I enjoyed it like I wish I had.”

In last year’s ACC Tournament at Greensboro’s NewBridge Bank Park, North Carolina and N.C. State played 12 innings in front of a crowd of 10,229 — the previous attendance record — before the Tar Heels prevailed 4-0.

Rodon was dominant in that one, too, striking out 12 in nine shutout innings, also a tough-luck no-decision.

“If you watched this game, you obviously understand that’s two national seeds in this game,” Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent said after Saturday night’s loss, referring to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. “If we’re not a national seed, I’ll just be shocked.”

Before the hour grew late and people began to disperse, an electric atmosphere accompanied the packed crowd that poured into the Durham Bulls’ stadium.

The seats were full and out beneath the easily recognizable bull billboard, fans were standing and lining the area high above the blue wall beyond left field. In right field, a full moon rose.

“I’m not sure we deserved to win, but it’s certainly a shame somebody had to lose that one,” Fox said. “I was happy to be a part of it. It’s a game I’ll always remember. Guess we should apologize for keeping everybody so late.”

Another tight, extra-inning duel between North Carolina and North Carolina State in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament grew into an epic that refused to end.

Finally, after six hours and 18 innings, after Saturday night had turned into Sunday morning, after a record crowd had thinned considerably and the brilliance of Wolfpack ace Carlos Rodon had become a faded memory, the longest game in tournament history finished as a 2-1 Tar Heels victory at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

“I felt like nobody wanted to win the game,” North Carolina center fielder Chaz Frank said. “There was so many opportunities for them to win the game, so many opportunities for us to win the game.”

Cody Stubbs’ run-scoring single in the top of the 18th broke the 1-1 tie that had lasted for 10 innings and emerged as the eventual winning hit in this pool-play game, essentially a true tournament semifinal, that stretched on nearly two hours past midnight.

Stubbs’ flare into shallow center field off Will Gilbert, the Wolfpack’s sixth pitcher, dropped just out of N.C. State shortstop Trea Turner’s diving reach and scored Landon Lassiter, whose walk started the inning.

Some of the final numbers were staggering: the teams went a combined 16-for-123 at the plate, left 31 runners on base and struck out 43 times, tied for second in NCAA history. And there were 11,392 in attendance at its highest point, the most ever for a college baseball game in this state.

In the bottom of the 18th, Brett Williams led off with a double, then reached third base on a wild pitch with no outs, putting N.C. State (44-14) decidedly in business. He was stranded there, 90 feet away with the tying run, the Wolfpack’s 17th runner left on base of the night.

The Tar Heels’ Chris Munnelly got Bryan Adametz to fly out, Sam Morgan to pop out and Logan Ratledge, N.C. State’s No. 9 hitter at the bottom of the lineup, the ground out to third.

Munnelly pumped his fist as the last out was recorded — at 1:51 a.m. — and met Stubbs, North Carolina’s first baseman, on the infield grass with a fired-up bear hug that had to also contain some relief.

“It was just so late, all my nerves had gone to sleep,” Munnelly said, smiling.

Virginia Tech’s most recent ACC Tournament game ended at 5:30 p.m. Friday. North Carolina has won twice while playing 32 innings since then — 14 innings and 5½ hours logged in Friday night’s 12-7 victory against Clemson and then Saturday night’s 6-hour, 3-minute marathon.

On and on and on and on.

“We’re not going to sleep,” Frank said, interrupting an answer from North Carolina coach Mike Fox on the quick turnaround for this afternoon’s championship game.

“They’ll be ready to go. This is something we’re excited to be a part of, to play for the title.”

Trent Thornton, Chris McCue and Munnelly (6-0) combined on a clutch, scoreless relief effort for the Tar Heels, scattering four hits and striking out 12 batters in 9 2/3 innings.

Thornton’s hitless 6 2/3 innings of work — he entered for starter Hobbs Johnson way back in the sixth inning — was critical with Rodon delivering a one-hit masterpiece through 10 innings.

The left-handed Rodon, strong and in utter control, struck out 14, issued two walks and didn’t allow an earned run. He held the Tar Heels without a runner on base until the fifth inning and hitless until Stubbs singled to break through with two outs in the seventh inning, but ultimately took a no-decision.

“Rodon’s one of the best that’s ever been in this league in the 15 years I’ve been here,” Fox said. “And we ran some good ones out there.

“It was an unbelievable baseball game. It’s going to take me a while, probably in the morning, to wake up and go ‘what did I just experience?’ I don’t think I enjoyed it like I wish I had.”

In last year’s ACC Tournament at Greensboro’s NewBridge Bank Park, North Carolina and N.C. State played 12 innings in front of a crowd of 10,229 — the previous attendance record — before the Tar Heels prevailed 4-0.

Rodon was dominant in that one, too, striking out 12 in nine shutout innings, also a tough-luck no-decision.

“If you watched this game, you obviously understand that’s two national seeds in this game,” Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent said after Saturday night’s loss, referring to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. “If we’re not a national seed, I’ll just be shocked.”

Before the hour grew late and people began to disperse, an electric atmosphere accompanied the packed crowd that poured into the Durham Bulls’ stadium.

The seats were full and out beneath the easily recognizable bull billboard, fans were standing and lining the area high above the blue wall beyond left field. In right field, a full moon rose.

“I’m not sure we deserved to win, but it’s certainly a shame somebody had to lose that one,” Fox said. “I was happy to be a part of it. It’s a game I’ll always remember. Guess we should apologize for keeping everybody so late.”

In the sixth inning, back-to-back doubles by Tarran Senay and Grant Clyde supplied the Wolfpack’s run and simultaneously chased Johnson, the North Carolina starter who went 5 1/3 innings, struck out nine and allowed six hits.

The Tar Heels tied it 1-1 in the eighth inning on an unearned run and without the benefit of a hit.

After Mike Zolk walked, Clyde’s error at third base put runners on first and second. Frank then bounced a grounder to Senay at first base. He looked toward second base, eyeing a double play, thought better of it and tossed to Rodon, covering first on the play.

But Rodon couldn’t handle the throw at the bag and was charged with an error.

The score remained 1-1 for 10 more innings.

On and on and on and on.

The Wolfpack seemed to be on the verge of a walk-off win in the bottom of the 13th, after Turner’s leadoff single sparked what became a first-and-third chance with one out. Then Senay’s walk loaded the bases for N.C. State, still with one out.

McCue struck out Clyde on three pitches — the last one was in the dirt — and fanned Williams on a full-count pitch that looked like it would have been a game-clinching ball four for the Wolfpack. Nearly all of the fans who remained were standing then, sensing a finish, finally. But McCue retired Williams.

Meanwhile, North Carolina put the speedy Frank on second base with no outs in the top of the 11th and on third base with two outs in the 13th, but failed to bring him in.

On and on and on and on.

A sparkling double play got N.C. State out of the top of the 15th. With Tar Heels at first and second, Williams caught Colin Moran’s fly ball to center field for the second out and gunned down Frank at third base after he tagged up and tried to advance.

An audible groan went up as the 17th ended on Clyde’s weak pop out in foul territory to Moran, North Carolina’s third baseman. N.C. State had loaded the bases there on two-out singles by Jake Fincher and Brett Austin and Munnelly’s intentional walk to Senay.